


What He Truly Wanted To Say

by KitTay1423



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Amnesia, F/M, falling in love with you all over again
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-27
Updated: 2015-11-24
Packaged: 2018-04-17 09:04:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4660722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KitTay1423/pseuds/KitTay1423
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the wake of a terrible twist of fate, all Gray can do is stay by Juvia's side while she recovers… But when she wakes, with no memories of her past or of her connection with Gray, can the young ice mage help her recover her lost memories? And will Juvia, who had once loved her Gray-sama so dearly, fall in love with him all over again? And what's Phantom Lord's role in this?!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Please note, that this is my very first attempt at writing not only a Gruvia fanfiction, but one for Fairy Tail in general, so please don't be too harsh in the reviews, haha... but I do so love this pairing! :) It will also include elements of NaLu, and GrayLu FRIENDSHIP, but for the most part, it's all Gruvia! The original plan was to release this story in sync with Valentine's Day/White Day, with one part released per week – but I just couldn't wait until February to share this with you guys, haha! So now, without further ado, enjoy!
> 
> The setup of this story is a little weird — first, it starts off SUPER fluffy, and then it very quickly turns a little darker, before it completely turns VERY dark and angsty, and then it just becomes complete angst, and then back to fluff/romance, after which is a little bit of drama/action, before it ends with it being back to sweet and fluffy.
> 
> Pairing(s): Gray/Juvia, minor Natsu/Lucy, Gray/Lucy BrOTP, Juvia/Erza BrOTP, Juvia/Lucy BrOTP.

Part 1:

Juvia twiddled her fingers, as she stood nervously in front of Erza's door at their Fairy Hills dormitories. She had searched and racked her brain for months to try to come up with the perfect gift to give her Gray-sama in time for Valentine's Day — after all, it _was_ to be their very first Valentine's Day, and she wanted it to be extra special — but with the holiday coming up just two days from now, she was alarmingly running out of time. She had finally settled for making some homemade chocolate, but with her track record in the kitchen, she was far from confident that it would turn out as perfect as she wanted it to be.

Taking a deep breath, the young water mage reached up with a hand to knock on Erza's door. If anyone could make the perfect sweet confection, it would be Erza. A happy smile crossed Juvia's face, as she pictured giving the gift to Gray, and of him accepting it with enthusiastic delight. Then, he'll ask her to get married, and whisk her off to-

"Juvia?" Erza answered the door, her expression full of surprise at seeing the younger girl standing there. "Well, this is certainly a surprise. Come in!"

Juvia smiled in appreciation at the invitation and nodded, following after the tall redhead. Her eyes grew wide, as she took in her surroundings as they walked. Endless armors lined the walls, and Juvia was pretty sure they passed through at least three living area-sized rooms, before stepping into yet another living-area, this time furnished with a couch, a couple of arm chairs, and various other pieces of furniture. Erza gestured for her to sit, and she did.

"So," Erza began, smiling warmly at Juvia. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"Well..." Juvia began, her eyes downcast and nervously tracing patterns on the couch with her finger. "Juvia… Juvia would like your help with making some chocolate to give to Gray-sama for Valentine's Day…" She peeked up at Erza, who had a knowing smile.

"I see…" A definite gleam shone in Erza's eyes. "Yes, of course I will help you. After all, it _is_ yours and Gray's first Valentine's Day together, is it not? We must make it special!"

_T-Together...?_ A pleasurable flush rose up Juvia's cheeks at that word. She immediately beamed at Erza. "Oh, thank you, Erza-san!"

"You're very welcome. Come back here tomorrow afternoon, and we'll make you the best batch of chocolate that that boy has ever tasted. That, I can promise you."

"Of course!" Juvia stood up, still beaming happily. "Then, Juvia will see you tomorrow!"

* * *

 

Juvia hummed happily to herself, as she carefully added the finishing touches to decorating the last of the batch of chocolate hearts. The two girls had worked all afternoon on the chocolates, and just as Erza had promised, they came out perfect. It was now the early hours of the evening, and Juvia still had to return back to her room to wrap it up.

"It's finished!" The blue-haired young woman exclaimed. Both she and Erza stepped back to admire their handiwork.

"It's perfect," Erza declared, looking highly satisfied. "I'm sure Gray will appreciate the gift."

"Yes, Juvia hopes so too!" Juvia agreed, blushing slightly. "Thank you, Erza-san, for helping Juvia!"

"You know… Gray is very lucky to have someone like you around in his life," Erza told her with a smile.

"T-Thank you…" Juvia's blush deepened, before her face fell slightly, and her eyes casted downward. "Although... Although sometimes, Juvia is not sure at all of where she stands in Gray-sama's heart..." she admitted softly.

"Gray's a very private person, and like many of us, has had a very rough past deep seated in tragedy," Erza told Juvia gently. "He has painful memories of losing people he's cared about, and as a result, has sheltered himself against getting too close to anyone, lest he experience another painful loss. And that is exactly why he needs someone like you to help pull him up from the shadows of his past. I can tell that you care very deeply for Gray, and he needs to see that caring for someone does not automatically mean you'll lose them."

Juvia, whose face had steadily gone a deeper and deeper shade of crimson the longer Erza talked, nodded in renewed determination. "Yes!" She said, curling both hands into fists in front of her. "Juvia will never give up on or abandon Gray-sama! Even if... Even if Gray-sama never truly reciprocate Juvia's feelings... Juvia will never leave him to face this world alone!"

"Give him time," Erza reassured her with a chuckle. "I'm sure he'll come around."

After thanking Erza once more, Juvia returned to her own room, in very high spirits. She couldn't wait for the next morning, when she could see Gray and present him with the chocolate hearts… As was her custom, she happily greeted the giant Gray-plush sitting by the front door with a kiss on the cheek, before getting to work with wrapping up the gift. Juvia hummed as she worked, a blissful smile on her face, as she once again imagined Gray's pleasantly surprised reaction, and of his subsequent declaration of his love for her. Yes, tomorrow was going to be a great day...!

* * *

 

The next morning dawned bright and early. After getting ready, Juvia kissed the Gray-plush affectionately goodbye, before exiting her apartment with the carefully-wrapped chocolates clutched in her hands. She made the short walk from Fairy Hills to the guild hall, cheerfully greeting her guild mates who were also out and about. It really was a beautiful day, and despite a slight chill to the February air, the sun was out and bathing everything it touched with its golden light.

Arriving at the guild hall, Juvia entered to find it exactly how it always was. The familiarity of it all was endearing to her — there was Nab, standing by the Request Board; Mirajane and Kinana behind the counters smiling and laughing at something that Natsu was saying, with Lucy sitting beside him looking fondly exasperated and Happy on the counter between the pair. The Thunder Legion were sitting in a group at one of the tables, and there, a little further down from them, sitting and chatting casually with Erza, Levy, and Gajeel, was Gray. Juvia's eyes lit up when she saw him, and she made a beeline towards him. Almost as if sensing her approach, Gray glanced up.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia called out happily to him, making her way towards the group. She saw Erza give a knowing smile.

"Oh- Hey, Juvia," Gray greeted her. As his eyes landed on the wrapped gift in Juvia's hands, a sweat drop appeared on his forehead, and he eyed it warily.

"...Well, I almost forgot... I promised Master I would look into a case for him today. I gotta go pack — you know me! Got a lot of stuff to pack!" So saying, Erza stood up. "I'll see you guys later when I return."

"Er…" Levy glanced back and forth between Gray and Juvia, before she too stood up. "Yeah, and I promised Lu-chan I would help her with some stuff today… C'mon, Gajeel," she tried to tug the bigger man to his feet.

"Wha-?!" Gajeel protested incredulously. "I thought you said you didn't have anything planned for today?" He half-glanced behind him, to where Lucy was still sitting at the bar, chatting away with Natsu and the others. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What's going on he-?"

"I- I don't!" Levy shook her head vigorously from side to side. "It's... It's just something that came up last second... and then, we can hang out…" Her face was scarlet. "Just- Just come _on_!"

Throwing one last suspicious look Juvia's, Gray's, and Lucy's way, Gajeel allowed himself to be tugged to his feet by the much smaller girl. Levy expelled a silent sigh of relief, and as she and Gajeel left the table, she gave Juvia a small smile, which Juvia returned gratefully.

When they were alone, Juvia turned to the raven-haired ice mage, and immediately all the blood rushed to her head. No matter how many times she saw him, she'd always get flustered all over again every time she was near him… and this time was no exception.

"Gray-sama..." Juvia began, fidgeting nervously. Before her resolve was completely lost, she thrust the chocolates towards Gray, with trembling arms. "Juvia... Juvia made these, with Erza-san's help, for you..."

A look of understanding dawned across Gray's face at the mention of Erza's name, and he scowled towards the front doors of the guild hall. A blush crept onto his features as well, and he glanced away.

"Er... Thanks, Juvia..." Gray muttered. Face still ablaze, and looking somewhat annoyed, he reached out to take the offered chocolates. Instead, he suddenly found his arm ensnared, and himself tackled, in one of Juvia's most enthusiastic hugs ever.

"Ackkk-! Wha-?! _JUVIA!_ " Gray's eyes widened at the public display of affection, and panic clearly laced his tone. He tried to disentangle himself from Juvia, while at the same time trying to ignore the sudden round of cheering and clapping and whistling from the rest of his guild mates. His ears burned hotter than he ever knew an ice mage could burn, and he gritted his teeth.

"Juvia, _knock it off_!" Gray snapped, trying without much success to push her off of himself. Without much other choice, and desperate to get away from the teasing looks the rest of the guild were throwing their way, he grabbed Juvia and hauled her towards the front doors. Once the two were outside, he spun her around.

"What the hell was that?!" He demanded. Taking in his pronounced scowl, Juvia blinked in surprise, before her face fell.

"Juvia's very sorry she's upset you, Gray-sama…" Juvia whispered, lowering her eyes dejectedly. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her lips trembled. "Juvia didn't mean... She only wanted to... s-see Gray-sama h-happy today, for it is the holiday of l-love..."

Gray sighed, reaching up with a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. He suddenly felt so drained… Damn girls...

"Juvia…" He glanced down at her, to find her head bowed and sniffling. Was she _crying_...? _Dammit..._ Gray cursed silently under his breath, suddenly feeling like a world-class asshole. On the one hand, he really did not care for Juvia's overly affectionate habits and tendencies around him, but on the other hand... did he really have to be so harsh with her...?

"Juvia…" Gray tried again. His tone softened considerably. "Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you, okay?" He muttered. "C'mon, don't- don't cry…" He stood somewhat awkwardly in front of her, not really sure of how to proceed with this situation. Was he supposed to comfort her? Gray blushed at the thought of wrapping his arms around Juvia. Knowing Juvia, she would almost certainly get the wrong idea behind the gesture...

Damn! Where was Loke when you needed him! Gray had very little experience dealing with girls, or these types of situations for that matter. But one thing was for sure though — he couldn't just stand around and not do anything… He had caused Juvia's tears, and now, he felt personally responsible to at least try to make her smile again. So, with an inner sigh of defeat, and feeling like he was going to regret his words, he said it anyway.

"So, uh... about that chocolate…" Gray gestured to the package still clutched tightly in Juvia's hand. In all the commotion from earlier, both of them had forgotten that Juvia had never managed to completely pass the gift on to Gray before her over-enthusiasm took over. Juvia sniffled, and through blurred vision, stared at the package that was still in her hand. Upon realizing what Gray's words meant, she peeked up at him, the beginnings of a hopeful smile fighting to be born.

"You- You do not mind, then, accepting Juvia's offering of chocolates on Valentine's Day?" She asked Gray hopefully, her features immediately brightening.

"Just no more tackling me, or yelling about love, or any of the other kinds of crazy stuff that you do..." Gray muttered. "You know how much I hate that… At least- At least don't do those things in public..."

"Then, Juvia is allowed to do those things in private, when it is just the two of us?" Juvia asked innocently, with a mischievous sparkle in her dark blue eyes.

"That's- That's not what I meant!" Gray shouted in a panic, gaping at the blue-haired girl. "Jeez, you're scarier than anybody I've ever encountered in my life, you know that?"

Juvia laughed, and Gray's lips twitched upward into a half-smirk at the sight. At least she wasn't crying anymore… The sight of a teary-eyed Juvia bothered him more than he was ever willing to admit...

"Let's go back inside, Gray-sama," Juvia suggested. With a smile, she held out the chocolates to him once again, and Gray, after eyeing it for a moment with a difficult-to-read expression on his face, finally accepted it cautiously, his cheeks still a bit red.

Juvia beamed, but perhaps remembering Gray's conditions, refrained from leaping into his arms and throwing her arms around his neck. Instead, she simply settled for a starry-eyed gaze at the boy in front of her.

"Oi, ice perv!" Natsu stuck his head out the door at that moment, and both Gray and Juvia leapt back away from each other, startled by the sudden interruption. "How long are you two gonna keep talkin' out here?!" Natsu's eyes caught sight of the package in Gray's hand, and he immediately grinned knowingly, his smirk clearly saying that this wasn't the last Gray's going to be hearing on this topic — not by a long shot...

_You open your mouth about this to anyone in the guild, and you're dead, flame brain_ , Gray's glare said it all.

Before both boys' rivalry and competitive natures could come to a head, however, Lucy and Happy appeared behind Natsu.

"What are you guys all doing out here?" Lucy asked. Her eyes landed on the package in Gray's hand, and they widened in surprise. "Whoa... Gray! Is that...?!" Her eyes flickered over to Juvia curiously.

"Ooooh, Gray and _Juuuuuvia_ are in _loooooooove_!" Happy teased, flying up behind Natsu. The small blue Exceed put his paws up to his mouth, and tried to stifle his giggle.

"Aaargh, we are _not_!" Gray snapped, looking highly annoyed and exasperated by this whole thing. "Does everyone have to come out here to comment about this?! What's the big deal? It's just a stupid holiday!"

He hadn't meant to say it quite like that — he hadn't even meant to say that out loud at all — but there was no taking back his words after they left his lips. The words hung heavily in the air, and there was a brief period of absolute silence after Gray's unexpected outburst, where everyone stared at him in stunned bewilderment. He swallowed hard, his jaw involuntarily clenching at the sudden flood of unwanted memories that those words triggered. Memories that still made his heart ache even after the passage of all these years — still caused his chest to tighten at the mere thought of it. The ghost of his greatest haunt…

_….._

_….._

_"You know, Valentine's Day is coming up, Gray," Ur leaned down to whisper next to Gray's ear, causing the young boy to jump slightly with a start. He'd been so absorbed in watching a young girl — shopping hand in hand with her mother and completely oblivious to his stare – across the marketplace, that he had completely failed to detect Ur and Lyon coming up behind him. His cheeks flushed, as he turned around to face his teacher. Standing slightly behind her, Lyon was smirking at him. He scowled back._

_"So?" Gray muttered, jamming his hands into his pocket, and deliberately kicking at a tuft of snow at his feet. "Valentine's Day is stupid. It's when girls get super mushy and annoying."_

_"On the contrary," Ur replied, a fond smile lifting the corners of her lips as she looked down at her young student. "Do you know the story behind Valentine's Day? St. Valentine-"_

_….._

_….._

Back in the present, Gray choked back the lump that had suddenly swelled in his throat, and squeezed his eyes shut.

_Idiot… You've spent so long trying to bury that particular memory… Spent so much effort in locking it away for good… And with just a couple of words…_ His eyes squeezed shut tighter, tears starting to peek through at the corners.

_Don't remember that day… Forget..._

He couldn't be here – not anymore. He could feel his friends' gazes, full of questions and concern, on him, and it was suffocating. Averting everyone's eyes, Gray abruptly brushed past them briskly, heading down the pathway away from the guild hall without another word.

"Hey-! Gray!" Lucy called out after him at his sudden departure, being the first to find her voice again, but Natsu put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

"Let him go," he told her quietly. "There's obviously lots of skeletons in the closet for Gray regarding this day, and he needs to sort through them himself."

"But-!" Lucy protested, casting another worried glance at Gray's retreating figure. "We can't just let him go off on his own like that!"

"Gray's a big boy, he can take care of himself. Besides, even if we do go after him now, he's not gonna want to accept our help anyway. Don't worry. He'll come back. He always does."

Still looking worried, Lucy nevertheless fell silent. Her gaze flickered to the blue-haired water mage, and her heart sunk for the other girl. Juvia stood frozen, staring out towards the area where Gray had disappeared.

"Hey…" Lucy carefully approached her, and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. She could feel Juvia trembling – whether due to the cold, or Gray's strange behavior, she couldn't tell. Maybe both? – and her heart went out to her. "Are you okay...?"

"G-Gray-sama…"

"C'mon, let's get back inside..." Lucy started to guide Juvia towards the guild hall, but she immediately felt resistance from Juvia.

"No! Juvia is… Juvia is going after Gray-sama…"

"But-!" Lucy looked torn between wanting to give Gray his space, and going after him as well in concern for his wellbeing. But it seemed Natsu was right – this _did_ seem like just a case of Gray wanting to be alone for a bit to clear his head… If they all went after him now, he'd most likely see that as yet another unnecessary annoyance…

"Something deeper is troubling Gray-sama… Please, leave this to Juvia! Juvia will bring him back…"

Lucy's eyes softened at Juvia's declaration, and a fond smile lifted at the corners of her lips. It was so obvious that Juvia cared so deeply for Gray… and in his own way, he for her as well. It was astounding to observe, as a third party on the sidelines, the rate at which her two friends' bond grew. Lucy couldn't help but cast a quick glance toward Natsu, wondering if she'll ever be able to achieve that same sort of unspoken bond with the pink-haired firebug… A blush rose up her cheeks, when she pictured herself presenting Natsu with chocolates for Valentine's Day… before the blush was quickly replaced by a sweat drop, when she realized that Natsu would probably be delighted by a gift of sweets and miss her entire point…

_Heh…_ she thought fondly. _Who ever would have guessed that ice-cold Gray would accept chocolates on Valentine's Day from a girl who he's rejected many times? No matter how you try to hide or deny it, you're not fooling anyone, Gray…_

"Alright," Lucy conceded with a small smile. "Then, we're counting on you, Juvia!"

"Yes!" Juvia nodded in determination. "Juvia will not come back without Gray-sama!" With that, she took off down the road. Gray had had a sizable start on her, and could be anywhere in Magnolia by now...

* * *

 

"Gray-sama!" Juvia called out as she walked. She was coming up to the main city now, with its many housings and buildings, but Gray was still nowhere in sight. Her eyes swept up and down each street carefully, calling out his name as she searched, but all to no avail.

Endless streets, behind countless alleyways, and hours of searching later, Juvia slowed to a stop, and leaned back to rest against the walls of a shop. She had exhausted all of her leads, gone to every spot in the city where she knew Gray to often frequent, and still, she was unable to find the raven-haired ice mage. By the position of the sun overhead, it already looked to be close to mid-to-late afternoon. Her stomach rumbled in protest for some food, which reminded Juvia with a start that she hadn't had anything to eat since early that morning. Still… that was unimportant. She had to find Gray, and make sure that he was okay…

_Gray-sama…_ Juvia's beseeching eyes looked to the sky above. _Where are you, my darling…?_

A sudden noise from a nearby alleyway caught Juvia's attention, and she immediately perked up. Her first thought was that somehow, Gray had heard her silent question to the heavens and had shown himself to ease her worries, and to reassure her that he was alright. Her entire face flushed at this thought, erupting into a sea of crimson heat. Juvia eagerly pushed herself away from the wall, and ran towards the alleyway.

"Gray-sama!" She called out happily, beaming, and with her face still flushed. "At long last! Juvia has finally found you, my love! Are you alr-" She suddenly cut off abruptly mid-sentence, freezing in her tracks. Her eyes widened in shock, when the person in the alleyway finally turned around. "You- You're not Gray-sama..."

"'Gray-sama'...?" The person repeated, a hint of mocking in his tone. "I don't know who the hell this 'Gray-sama' of yours is, darlin', but he sure as hell ain't here." The person fully stepped into the light, revealing himself to be a big, burly man looking to be in his twenties. "But since you're here..." he leered at her, his hungry eyes taking in her figure. "...Why don't you entertain me for a bit?"

"Sorry, but Juvia is definitely not interested!" So saying, she flung both hands up towards him. "Water Slicer!" Blades of water materialized instantly from her open palms, flying towards their target, but to her surprise, the man made a slashing mark in the air, and her water disappeared.

"How did...?" Juvia gasped, before her eyes narrowed, as she prepared to try again, calling upon her most powerful spell. "Water Nebula!" This time, a whirlpool torrent erupted out of her hands, but just like before, the man made his slash motion, and just like before, the water vanished, shimmering completely out of existence.

"My suspicions about you have been confirmed… Juvia Lockser…" the man said with a smirk. "You're every bit as powerful as the rumors claim."

Juvia's eyes widened. "How... How do you know of Juvia...?" she asked, stunned. "Juvia does not know who you are..."

Ignoring her question, the man's eyes instead traveled down her side, to where her legs peeked out from the slits at the sides of her outfit. It came to a rest at her left thigh, where her blue Fairy Tail guild mark was stamped. His lips curled.

" _Fairy Tail_ , huh...?" He sneered. "I would've thought you'd do a lot better than crawl to Fairy Tail after Phantom Lord was disbanded, Juvia..."

The man's words struck Juvia like an oncoming train, and her heart stopped. Phantom...Lord...? She stared at the man in shock, trying desperately to make herself remember who he was. But try as she might, she just could not recall him at _all_...

"Phantom Lord..." Juvia said quietly. "Phantom Lord was part of Juvia's distant past… That past is no longer part of who Juvia is!" She fixed the man with a deep stare, her dark blue eyes seeming to bore into his very soul, while her hands clutched into fists by her side. "Juvia has moved on into the future with Gray-sama and all of her friends in Fairy Tail, and if you have come to threaten that future... _JUVIA WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!_ "

Her exclamation seemed to surprise – and deeply amuse – the man. He took a deliberate step forward towards her, and Juvia instinctively took a half step back. A coarse laugh ripped from the man's throat at her reaction. Juvia gritted her teeth, not liking at all the way he was looking at her. If all else failed, there was always her Water Lock or her Water Body spell… But she doubted her Water Lock would have any more of an effect on this guy than the spells she had already attempted, and Water Body — although it _might_ work, as it was a spell that was casted on herself — would require a lot of magical energy – energy which she no longer had enough of.

_This... This is bad..._ Juvia thought, her body tensing into a further defensive stance, and the strain of using multiple spells so rapidly in a row starting to show. If he _could_ indeed negate her magic with nothing more than a simple gesture...

"Finally figured out that you can't win this fight, have you?" The man sneered. "If it were entirely up to me, I'd have more fun with you here, but unfortunately, I have my orders… Azu-chan, take her."

A small girl dropped down from the top of the building with a giggle, landing nimbly next to Juvia, and before the water mage could so much as react, had snapped a collar-like device around her neck. Juvia cried out in surprise, one hand reaching instinctively to tug desperately at the collar. Even as she struggled with it, she could feel her strength and what was left of her magical energies draining out of her body.

"What's happening...?" Juvia murmured, collapsing onto the rough pavement. Everything was swimming before her eyes, and it was a struggle to focus her blurry vision on any one point. A faint humming sound rang in her ears, and she fought to keep the drowsiness from overtaking her. The last thing she saw before the darkness consumed her completely, was the memory of Gray, as he was that morning in the guild hall. Was it really just hours ago that she was attempting to give Gray those chocolates...?

_Gray-sama...…_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I’m so sorry for the ridiculously slow update on my part with this chapter! Between family obligations, and other IRL distractions, this chapter has taken much longer than originally anticipated to get updated. But – here we go! Chapter 2 is here! Yay!**

* * *

 

What He Truly Wanted To Say – Chapter 2

By: KitTay1423

* * *

 

 

Gray walked slowly back to the guildhall, his hands buried deep in his pockets, a deeply pensive look on his face. He had just spent the better part of the day walking aimlessly around the outskirts of Magnolia, lost deep in his thoughts.

Why had he blurted out the words that he did earlier? The crease between his eyebrows deepened, as his eyes narrowed. A part of him honestly _hadn't_ minded getting those chocolates from Juvia, and if he really wanted to be honest with himself, had even somewhat enjoyed the thought of Juvia making the chocolates especially for him. Not that he would ever admit that to her... The last thing he needed was for her to go crazy with smothering him with her affections again.

...But hadn't he just admitted that he _enjoyed_ the thought of Juvia presenting him with chocolates for Valentine's Day?

His scowl – as well as his blush – deepened. Girls. They were the scariest creatures alive on earth, by far... He had fought his fair share of enemies throughout his 18 years, but never had he encountered anything quite as intimidating and confusing as girls and especially the emotions that came with them... It was a different kind of fear than what he was comfortable with. Even the most extreme of physical fears, such as the Demon Deliora, or the toughest of fights, Gray had no problem facing head-on. Deliora was perhaps still his greatest physical hurdle, but he had already vowed long ago that he _would_ face, and defeat, it one day. _Feelings_ , on the other hand... the thought of 1-on-1 intimacy with girls... it was something that he couldn't physically beat, and it scared the hell out of him.

Sure, he'd had several girls within Fairy Tail since he had joined, who had shown some type of interest in him. Nothing like on the level of Loke, of course, but they had tried to get closer to him than he was comfortable with. He had never pursued any of those relationships, not necessarily because he didn't or hadn’t wanted to, but because he had lost nearly everyone that he had ever loved and cared about, and he _wasn't_ going to lose another. Eventually, one by one, the girls had given up on him and most moved on to Loke. He hadn't minded at all. Girls were distractions to the reason why he had joined a guild in the first place – to get strong enough to some day take revenge on the demon that had taken everything and everyone from him.

So, when he'd met Juvia, and she had immediately developed an interest in him, Gray thought that it was going to be no different than all those other girls. That it was only going to be a matter of time before she, too, would lose interest and move on. Her persistence in pursuing him surprised him, and when he couldn't shake her off of him no matter what he did, it became increasingly infuriating to him. He'd had no intention of pursuing a relationship – defeating Deliora was his number one priority. But, over time, his feelings regarding Juvia was changing – ever so slowly, but definitely surely. She was somehow different from any girls he'd ever encountered, although he couldn't quite put his finger on why... On some days, her clinginess and fangirl tendencies annoyed him to no end, but on other days, her smile alone was enough to make him forget the worst of days. She got under his skin, but had also managed to burrow her way into him further than anyone ever had. And he'd allowed it. And found that he'd _liked_ it. She was the most genuine person he'd ever known, wearing her emotions on her sleeve like an open book, while he, on the other hand, closed himself off from much of the world.

Reaching up with a hand to run it through his raven locks in frustration, Gray let out a growl. He wasn't ready – or willing – to pursue a relationship right now. Not yet. Not until he was sure that the curse, or whatever the hell it was, that he carried wouldn't claim the life of another person that he cared about. He had sworn that he would defeat his own personal demons first, before he would risk bringing someone into his life and opening his heart to them... The deep tragedies of his past gave him no other choice in the matter.

But with each passing day that Juvia was around him, it was getting increasingly hard to keep up his resolve of keeping her at arm's length, and of keeping his own growing feelings at bay. Erza’s words to him at the Grand Magic Games came back to him often, and more than he’d like, especially lately, he found himself seriously pondering her words.

_“You should’ve sensed Juvia’s feelings for you by now... Can’t you be a little more resolute?”_

More often than not, the conclusion he’d reach to that question would paint a blush upon his cheeks, and leave him more confused and conflicted about his feelings than ever. What _did_ he feel for the blue-haired water mage? Some days, his interactions with Juvia felt just as easy-going – just as _natural_ – as that of any of his other friends and female comrades. On other days, however, the mere sight of her smile, or the way her body brushed up against his, was enough to send his heart racing of its own accord. If he was honest with himself – _completely and truly honest_ – he had to admit that there might indeed be something... _more_ that he saw in Juvia than anyone else.

He knew _exactly_ how she felt about him – hell, half of Fiore probably knew, thanks to the Grand Magic Games – and he knew that he needed to make his side of things clear to her as well. It was just... the thought of _making himself clear_ to her _terrified_ him.

Halfway back to the guildhall, a deeply unsettled feeling suddenly washed over him, and Gray blinked, faltering a step. He brought one hand up to his forehead, and closed his eyes.

_“What the hell...?”_ he muttered, his brows knotting into a frown at the odd sensation. As quick as the feeling came, it was gone just as fast, and with a shake of his head, Gray dismissed it without giving it much further thought.

Finally arriving back at the familiar building of Fairy Tail, Gray went in, and was immediately greeted by the warmth of the place. He hadn't realized how late it'd gotten, until he saw that most everyone was gone already. It couldn't be helped – he supposed – it _was_ Valentine's Day, after all. Those within the guild who had significant others, sweethearts, or those who simply wanted to spend time with ones that they liked had long since arranged plans for the day and evening. Still, a handful of people remained, and he soon caught sight of Natsu, Happy, and Lucy sitting at one of the tables. Making his way over to them, he sunk down onto the bench, grateful for the chance to sit down.

"Heya, Gray," Natsu greeted him. Next to him, Lucy looked over at Gray in surprise.

"Where've you been all day?" The blonde asked, eyeing him carefully.

The ice mage shrugged. "Around," he replied simply. Lucy looked like she was about to say something else, but ultimately decided against it. Instead, her lips pursed into a thin line, and she sighed. Gray was thankful that she didn't decide to pursue the topic further. The last thing he felt like doing was _talking_ about the jumbled mess in his head that even _he_ wasn't sure what the hell to make of it.

Something had felt off, ever since he'd set foot into the guildhall, and it wasn't until now that he realized what it was.

"Where's Juvia?" Gray asked, looking around, surprised when he didn't see her anywhere around. Usually, she would be the first person he saw when he entered, largely due to the fact that she would always be the first one to run up to him with hearts in her eyes in the first place. It was actually kind of odd not to see her there. Gray's mind went back to that morning, when he had abruptly left. Had that upset her...? Had she gone back home afterwards...? A flash of something reminiscent of guilt washed over him, and he frowned. He hadn't meant to upset her with those words... It really wasn't even aimed at Juvia at all...

Lucy looked startled at his question, and her odd expression gave him pause. He stared at her for a moment, trying to comprehend why she would be making that particular expression.

"...What?" Gray questioned suspiciously, his gaze shifting between Lucy and Natsu, and back again.

"What do you mean...?” Lucy asked slowly, sounding increasingly alarmed. “Wasn't she with you? We thought... Well, she insisted on following you, and making sure you were alright..." Deep worry immediately came into Lucy's eyes, as she and Natsu exchanged confused glances.

"No..." Gray replied, a sick feeling starting to form in the pit of his stomach at what he was hearing. "I haven't seen her all day since I left this morning..." The feeling of deep unease grew, suddenly reminding him with a jolt of his feelings of dread from earlier.

_No, don't tell me...._ Gray's eyes grew wide. _It **can't** be...._

_Shit... If she ended up hurt somewhere, because of me..._ All kinds of possible scenarios popped into his head, each one worse than the last, and he cringed. Both palms slamming down onto the table, Gray immediately rose back to his feet.

"I'm going out to look for her," he announced, his voice low. His features were set in a concerned frown, as he stared down at his hands. “I got this _weird_ feeling earlier... I didn’t think much of it then, but now...” He shook his head. “I don’t like it – _something’s_ wrong.” The words were hardly out of his mouth before he was already striding for the front doors.

"W-Wait! We're coming with!" Lucy grabbed Natsu by the arm and hauled him after Gray, with Happy trailing in the air worriedly right behind them. The ice mage was already halfway out the door by the time they caught up to him, and she struggled to keep up with his pace. The three of them stepped out into the chilly air.

After a moment of deliberation, it was decided that they would split up to search separately, in order to cover more ground faster. In addition to her assigned area around the guildhall, Lucy also offered to check out the nearby Fairy Hills as well, due to its status as a female-exclusive dormitory. Natsu, Happy, and Gray would be in charge of searching through the streets of Magnolia – Natsu and Happy by air, and Gray on foot.

Not even ten minutes into the search around the city, Natsu and Happy suddenly descended back down to the ground.

“What’s the matter?” Gray demanded immediately. “Did you catch her scent?”

“Yeah...” Natsu replied, his voice low and his eyes narrowing. “She’s close – _very_ close. Or, rather, she _was_.”

“What do you mean, she _was_?” Gray demanded, his brows knotting. Panic was rapidly starting to set in. Natsu’s words, coupled with his uneasy feeling from earlier, did nothing to help settle his nerves. “Where did sh-?”

“I think we’d better go get Lucy before we proceed any further...” Natsu’s voice was a growl. He stared suspiciously at a point in the distance. “Something’s off about this, and I don’t like or trust it one bit...”

“Natsu! Gray!”

As if right on cue, they heard Lucy’s voice calling out to them, and both boys turned to see the blonde running towards them. Natsu’s tense expression relaxed significantly upon seeing her, but did not disappear completely.

“Hey, Luce,” the pink-haired firebug greeted her, when she reached their side. “Did you find out anything?”

“Juvia never returned to Fairy Hills, as far as anyone could tell,” Lucy stated, her expression clouded with worry. “I ran into Evergreen and a couple of others who said that the last they saw of her was this morning...”

Gray cursed silently under his breath. “This is all my fault,” he shook his head, frustration clear in his tone. “If I hadn’t have said what I’d said – left the way that I did... None of this would be even happening in the first place!”

“Now’s not the time to blame yourself!” Lucy told him firmly. “What’s happened has already happened – you can’t go back and change that fact. But what’s important right now is that we find Juvia as soon as possible-!”

“Juvia!” Gray shouted. “Where are you?! _Juvia!_ ” His heart sunk further into the pit of his stomach, when the only answer he got back was the whispers of the wind.

“We’ll find her,” Natsu promised grimly. He sniffed the air a couple more times, before his gaze returned to the spot in the distance where they’d been staring at a moment before. “She went _this_ way – I’m sure of it...” He broke out into a sprint, and after exchanging a quick, grim look between themselves, Gray and Lucy took off after him.

The trio ran for what seemed like forever through the streets of Magnolia, until finally, Natsu skidded to an abrupt halt in front of an old and decrepit looking building in the shadier side of the city. His lips curled into a snarl, as he glared at it.

“Guys – Juvia’s in there.” Natsu jerked his chin towards the building. “I can smell ‘er... But she ain’t alone...”

“You sure?” Gray stepped forward, his voice hard.

“Yeah,” Natsu nodded. “There are all kinds of weird smells in there. I’m not sure exactly how _many_ are in there, but I’d say there’s at least a good enough amount in there to knock a few heads around or two!” He grinned at his two companions, barely-contained excitement burning bright in his eyes. “Alright – _finally_! Some action! I’ve been _itchin’_ for a fight! Too bad Erza’s not here, huh? She would’ve real-”

“No,” Gray interrupted. He raised his eyes to gaze coolly at Natsu and Lucy. "Listen, beyond this point, I'm going alone.” His eyes narrowed. "I started this whole mess with Juvia in the first place, I need to end it myself."

"What, are you _crazy_??" Natsu demanded, scowling at Gray. "As if I'd let you hog all the fun for yourself, in beating the guards' faces in! I want in too!"

Gray's teeth clenched. "Dammit, Natsu! I don't have time for this!" He snapped. "Go back to the guild, you and Lucy both! I can handle it from here!"

"Why, Gray?" Lucy cried out. "Why do you still insist on doing everything yourself, even when you have friends around to help you?!" She sniffled, looking away. Despite trying her hardest to not let it bother her so much, the hurt of knowing that Gray still preferred to do everything alone – still would not _completely_ trust his nakamas – despite everything that they’d been through together, cut deep. "I thought..."

Gray turned his head before Lucy could finish her whispered sentence, his bangs obscuring his eyes. "This is just something that I _need_ to do myself. It has nothing to do with friendships, or you guys, or anything else. I...” He paused, as if trying to carefully pick and weigh his words before speaking them. _I need to see where my feelings lie with Juvia once and for all, and I don't need to also have to worry about you guys..._ "I just need you to trust me on this," Gray ended it simply. "As far as I'm concerned, this conversation is over. Go back to the guild, Natsu... Lucy... _Now_.”

There was a long moment of silence that fell upon the three friends, before the moment was broken when Natsu raised an arm to lay it on Lucy’s shoulder.

“Don’t you die out there, Gray,” Natsu warned the ice mage, his tone and expression deadly serious. A smirk tipped the corner of Gray’s lips at his words. “If you do something – _anything_ – stupid out there, and die, _I’ll never forgive you, man!_ ”

“Gray’s not-!” Lucy protested, her eyes wide. She turned to Gray with a look of growing alarm on her face, as if for the first time considering this possibility. Gray expelled a scoff.

“Idiots... Of course not. Natsu, quit giving Lucy any of your stupid ideas, will ya? You guys worry too much. I’ll be fine.” Gray waved their concerns away. “Now, go on! Get outta here!”

With that, he turned away from them, and disappeared into the building.

* * *

 

"You have someone who's important to me," Gray growled. Grabbing the guy by his front collar, he yanked him up and held him against the wall with one hand, while the other charged an ice attack. "And I want her back, now! So spill – _where is she?!_ "

"I have no idea what you're talkin' about, dude," the guy scoffed, trying to twist his way out of Gray's grip. "And even if I did, I wou- _eeeee!_ " His statement cut off abruptly into a terrified squeal, when Gray made the ground by the guy's feet explode upward into a huge crystallized mass of jagged ice.

" _That's_ gonna be your _head_ in the next second if you don't tell me _where the fuck she is!_ " Gray ground out through clenched teeth, his arm trembling not only from the exertion of keeping the guy pinned to the wall, but also from his barely-contained anger as well.

"Okay! _Okay!!_ Jesus, don't kill me!" The guy yelped. "...Alls I know is, if you're looking for a girl with blue hair and a hat, they've got her up on the third floor of this building. Not that that information's gonna do you much good, you'll probably never see her alive again anyway," he laughed. He grinned maliciously, running his tongue against his teeth and licking his lips. "Third floor's the torture chamber. Master and lil' missus are the best at what they do, if you get my drift..."

"If they've so much as laid a finger on her......" Gray's knuckles were white. Dropping the guy roughly to the ground, he encased him in ice, his eyes hard. No remorse, no regret. Racing up the flight of stairs, he saw three more guys charging at him.

"Out of my way!" He yelled, one hand already in a fist and pressed up against the palm of the other. "Ice-make lance!!" Multiple shots of jagged spears of ice rained down, causing the guys to yell and fling their arms up to protect themselves. Gray continued onward, sprinting full speed ahead. One more set of stairs... just one more...

A terrible scream echoed off of the walls, the sound passing through him like physical pain. His head snapped up in a panic, all color completely draining from his face.

" _ **JUVIA!!!!**_ "

She was in pain – they were _hurting_ her. Gray gritted his teeth, and willed himself to keep going. It didn't matter that his entire body screamed for a break, or that his magic was almost at its limit. He had to reach her, had to make her safe again...

And then, after that, he was going to beat the piss out of every last one of them, for putting Juvia through this...

His way to the door leading up to the third floor was suddenly blocked by a larger, heavy-set man, who stepped out from the shadows to meet him.

"I'm afraid this is as far as you'll go," the man told him. "You won't get past me. State your name, stranger, and what business you have here."

"Funny, that's what they all said the last couple of floors down..." Gray growled. "And yet, here I am." He glared at the man. "I have no idea what the hell's going on here, but you have someone from my guild, and I _want her back._ "

"Ahh..." a look of recognition dawned across the man's face, and he smiled. "So _you_ must be the 'Gray-sama' of whom she speaks so fondly of..."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Gray snapped. The temperature around the pair plummeted, dropping at least twenty degrees instantaneously. If he noticed the harsh dip in temperature, the man made no indication of it. Instead, his smile became taunting.

"Oh yes..." he whispered. "Did you know that the last name she uttered before oblivion overtook her was yours? Were you aware of that? I was, for it was I who took her down..."

"You...!" Gray's eyes widened at that last revelation, before a rage like he'd never felt since he was still a child and had watched his parents and later Ur die by the hands of Deliora, erupted from deep within him. His jaw involuntarily locked, and his face twisted.

"Yes..." the man burst out into laughter, the booming sound reverberating through the space around them. "Yes, that's the expression I was looking for..."

"Shut up!!" Gray screamed, his entire body shaking. " _Shut up! **YOU BASTARD!!!**_ " Losing himself in his fury, the ground underneath both of them exploded in ice and rubble. Massive spikes of ice rapidly shot forward across the floor with frightening speed and power, and when the smoke cleared, blades of ice spikes also jutted out from the walls.

The man looked surprised.

"I do believe you're the first to have been able to catch me by surprise, and successfully use your magic around me," he said, with a sardonic chuckle. "Color me impressed... However..." he smiled. "Vertigo!"

A young boy dropped down from above, landing in a crouching position in between Gray and the man. Slowly rising to stand, the boy gazed at Gray through cold, apathetic eyes. His features were completely blank, betraying absolutely nothing of what he was thinking or feeling.

“ _Now_ what’s going on?!” The words were no sooner out of his mouth, when a sickening wave of nausea overwhelmed him. The area which they were in was spinning wildly out of control... the walls around them tilting upwards to meet the ceiling at impossible angles... He dropped immediately to one knee at the sudden disorientation of his senses, straining to lift his head to glare furiously at the pair in front of him.

“You think this can keep me down?” Gray snarled, gritting his teeth as he pushed himself unsteadily back to his feet.

“You’ll be wise not to underestimate Vertigo,” the man warned quietly, his voice unnervingly calm. “Many before you have also tried, and many before you have _failed_.” The boy raised an arm in a commanding gesture out in front of him, and another wave of sickening nausea – this one even worse than the last – crashed into Gray. His stomach lurched violently, and he was forced to close his eyes for a moment. However, he didn’t fall this time.

"You’re a strong one, and a fighter,” the guy observed, letting loose with another booming laugh that made Gray want nothing more than to punch him in the face. “I _like_ that. _She_ was too, you know – your friend?” His voice dipped down into a dangerous whisper, his lips curling. “All the more fun to play with... wouldn’t you say?”

"You're _sick_ , you know that-?” Gray snapped.

“Ah...” the man murmured. “And yet, _I_ am the one who thoroughly _conquered_ that fiery spirit of hers... _I_ was the one who had my way with her... Of course, she resisted in the beginning – resisted for all that she was worth and more... Oh, how she kept insisting that her _Gray-sama_ would come save her... she had so much _faith_ in you... It was the same thing for _hours_ – Gray-sama this, Gray-sama that... blah blah blah. _Pathetic_ , really. It was the sweetest relief when I silenced her for good.”

“ _I swear to God, I will make every single last one of you assholes **pay**_ ,” Gray’s voice trembled. His knuckles had gone white, and his dark eyes were narrowed into slits. “ _What have you done to her?!_ ”

“You’ll see soon enough, _Fairy_ , when I send you into oblivion just like I did the girl...”

“Like hell you are!” Gray snarled. “Ice-Make...” He knew immediately after the words were out that it was going to be no use. Icy mist swirled around his fists, but refused to be anything more than that. He was completely out of magical energy – at least until he was able to recharge.

_Shit!_ Gray cursed. _Shit- shit- SHIT!_

His eyes widened in alarm, when the guy crossed the distance between them in a couple of strides, and snatched him up into the air by the collar of his jacket. Gray could see the yellowed, decayed teeth of the man – could smell the putrid stench of his breath as the guy leaned in closer to him. It made his stomach churn.

“What makes _you_ so special, Pretty Boy?” There was a definite embittered tone to the man’s voice now.

“Well, for starters, you can _brush your teeth_ ,” Gray sneered. “People usually tend to like you better if your mouth didn’t smell like the insides of a garbage dump!”

The fist that came crashing into his stomach was hard and fast, and the powerful punch knocked the air from the ice mage’s lungs. He gasped for breath following the punishing blow. The pain that came with it was simultaneous and immediate.

_Shit-!_ One hand clutched at his stomach, fingers curling into his side. _This was bad- This was **really** bad..._

“ _Never..._ ” the man snarled at him. “Insult... Me... Especially... _to my face!_ ” Another fist slammed once more into Gray, this one sending him sinking to his knees. He coughed, blood dripping onto the ground from his mouth.

“Do what you want with me,” he rasped out. Despite the pain, his eyes still blazed with defiance, as he glared at the man. “But _don’t you fucking touch her!_ ”

“Still defiant to your last breath, I see,” the man scoffed. “Fine. We’ll just have to do this the hard way, I suppose.” With a snap of his fingers, a massive horde of enemy soldiers appeared and surrounded them. They were all dressed in a similar fashion to the lackeys that Gray had left behind in his wake on the various floors below. The man’s lips curled. Before he could say anything further, however, a giant fireball hurled towards them.

“ _Wha-?!_ ” The man yelled, momentarily caught off guard. Gray only had a second to act. Seizing the opportunity, he kicked his leg out in a sweeping motion, knocking the guy and sending him crashing onto the ground with a furious grunt. Seeing their leader fall, the lackeys all started to attack as one.

“ _Roar of the Fire Dragon!!_ ”

“ _Open! Gate of the Golden Bull, I summon thee! Taurus!!_ ”

“You guys- _Wha-?!_ "

Gray scrambled to his feet, ducking out of an attack from an incoming enemy, before firing off several ice pin missiles that found their targets with deadly accuracy. It seemed at least a small portion of his magic had been replenished naturally, from not having used his magic for the last fifteen minutes or so. Good. He had buried most of these assholes in rubble once before – he could do it again.

However-

In the midst of the battle, he whirled to face his friends.

"I thought I told you guys to _go back to the guild!_ " He shouted. With a growl, he shot off another ice attack at an enemy who was about to fire at an unsuspecting Lucy's back.

"Aww, c'mon – you didn't _really_ expect us to just sit this out, did you?" Natsu grinned at him, baring his canines. He looked like a kid who had just been let loose inside a candy shop that was inside of an amusement park. His eyes blazed with an all-too-familiar eagerness that Gray himself knew well – after all, he had spent countless times brawling with the fire breather to immediately recognize that look when he saw it. It was the look of one who couldn't wait to bash a few heads in...

He gave a sigh of defeat. There was no stopping Natsu now...

“Fine,” he grumbled, still somewhat wavering in his reluctance to allow his friends to fight his battles for him.

"Go, Gray, and find Juvia!" Lucy shouted to him, snapping him out of his thoughts. She brandished Fleuve d'etoiles, snapping the Celestial energy whip towards the attackers. Some managed to dodge the whip – others weren't so lucky. Fighting by her side, Taurus roared and gave a powerful swing of his ax, sending even more bodies flying.

"You sure you can handle this-?" Gray started to yell back.

"As if me and Luce will let you hog all the fun?!" Natsu grinned, powering up his fist so that it was engulfed by flames, and sending it crashing into the ground. A huge explosion rocked the area, sending smoke and dust billowing up everywhere.

"Go! We'll be fine!" Lucy urged. "Natsu and I can take care of these creeps with no problem! But you need to find Juvia and make sure sh-"

The blonde froze, when another terrible drawn-out scream echoed from within the room ahead. Her brown eyes widened, and all color drained from Gray's face.

_Juvia..._

"I'll leave this here to you guys, then," he quickly told his friends. "Thanks – and be careful." With those words, Gray left them, sprinting towards the door that led to the water mage. He trusted Natsu and Lucy to be able to handle the lackeys with ease – he wasn't worried about that. They had fought much worse enemies before and had emerged victorious.

Exactly what he might find behind that door, however, twisted his insides into a jumble of knots...

_Juvia... Hang on- please..._

His magic was almost completely depleted. The aches in his muscles suddenly seemed to burn a lot worse now. Gray gritted his teeth against the pain – this was _nothing_ -

Bursting through the locked door using the last of his magical energy, Gray left masses of jagged ice in his wake, the door having been blown completely off its hinges.

" _Juvia!!_ " he shouted. The room was dark – much darker than what he'd been expecting, and as his eyes slowly grew accustomed to the dimmer light, a soft whimper caught his attention.

"Gray... s-sama...?" The voice that called out to him was barely above an audible whisper, and Gray's eyes widened as they followed the voice to a huge contraption machine, and there, hooked in the middle of it, was Juvia. His breath caught in his throat, as he stared up at her. Her upper body was slumped forward, and her head lolled a bit to the side, her long blue hair hiding most of her face from view. The only things holding her in place were the coarse straps that pinned her to the machine.

“Juvia!” Gray quickly made it to her side. He immediately reached for the restraints, giving a growl of frustration when the belts refused to budge. With some effort, the girl raised her eyes to meet his. As soon as she focused in on his face, tears pooled in her dark blue eyes, spilling over onto her cheeks. Her face crumpled.

"Gray-sama... J-Juvia's sorry, but she h-had to..." she whispered, sounding broken and miserable.

"What? What’re you talking about?” His own eyes widened even further in alarm when he was finally able to take in her appearance. “W-What happened to you...?" Gray murmured, shock quickly giving way to anger, as his fists trembled at his sides. She was a mess. Numerous cuts and bruises decorated her face, neck, and down her arms. Blood that had long-since dried smeared across one cheek, and a dark purple bruise was threatening to swell one eye completely shut.

" _Who did this to you...?_ " The ice mage questioned her, his voice dangerously quiet.

“Juvia’s not sure... they ambushed Juvia in the city, and it happened _so fast_...” Fresh tears spilt over, trickling in twin streams down her cheeks. Reaching up with a hand, Gray gently brushed it away with his thumb. His palm rested lightly against her cheek, cupping her face with slightly trembling hands.

“It’s okay,” Gray told her. “You hear me? Everything’s going to be okay... I’m here now. So are Natsu, and Lucy – they’re right outside. We’re here to bring you back to Fairy Tail, where you belong..." _With us. With me..._

“I’m afraid you’ll be doing no such thing,” a voice spoke up from the shadows. “I have my orders – Juvia Lockser will be staying right where she is. So sorry.” Juvia’s head immediately snapped up, a sharp gasp escaping past her lips. Gray whirled around, eyes frantically searching the darkness.

“What the hell...?” He growled, immediately dropping down into a defensive stance. Extending one arm out to shield Juvia behind him, he charged an ice attack with the other. “Get out here and face me!” He yelled. “Quit hiding like a damn coward!”

“As you wish.” A lone figure slunk their way out of the darkness towards the pair. Gray stared. Before them, stood a mere _girl_ , looking to be no older than Wendy, at most. Strawberry-blonde hair tumbled freely past her shoulders to her mid-back. A pair of spectacles perched atop her nose, behind which icy, calculating eyes watched them. Her cold, emotionless demeanor reminded Gray with a jolt of the boy from earlier – _Vertigo_. They both carried themselves with the same air of silent indifference.

“Time’s up, Miss Lockser,” she stated in a quiet monotone, the tiniest of frowns touching her eyes. “Do I have your answer?”

“J-Juvia...” The water mage faltered. Her wide-eyed gaze flicked to Gray for a brief moment, before something behind those eyes extinguished. She swallowed, and averted her eyes away from his.

“Yes...” she spoke so softly the word was barely audible. “Yes... Just- please... you promised...”

“Juvia- What are you talking about?!” Gray repeated his earlier question, as he stared at her. Panic flared up within him, blazing white-hot flames stabbing at his insides.

“I never break my promises,” the girl replied with a slight nod of acknowledgement. “My word is my bond. You shall have your end of the bargain fulfilled – as long as we do as well...”

“ _What the fuck is going on he-?!_ ”

"Gray-sama...”

Gray’s eyes met with Juvia’s then, when she whispered his name. Her dark blue eyes shone behind a veil of unshed tears, as they searched his. Her lips trembled. He could tell she was trying to hold herself together as best she could for his sake, but failing rather miserably at it.

“C’mon,” he told her, attempting once again to break through the restraints that held her back. “I’m getting you outta here. You don’t _belong_ here, Juvia. I still have no idea what the hell’s going on here, but I’ll be _damned_ if I-”

The tears finally spilt over then, running silently down her cheeks.

“Gray-sama is the one person in this world that Juvia cannot live without... Juvia _promised_ she would never let harm befall Gray-sama... If the cost of keeping that promise requires the giving up of Juvia's most treasured possession, then Juvia will gladly sacrifice it if it can ensure that Gray-sama – that you’ll be safe...”

“Ju-”

“Goodbye... Gray-sama...”

Gray stood frozen, wide-eyed and in shock, as the machine hummed to life right in front of him. He wanted to reach out for Juvia – wanted more than anything to save the girl he loved from the fate that he knew was coming for her. The very same fate that _always_ came for those he loved...

Their eyes met once more – that deep blue, which he had come to become so very familiar with, held his horrified gaze tenderly – before golden light emitted from those eyes, and she screamed the most terrible scream yet. He couldn’t breath – could only feel himself falling... Her name ripped from deep within him in an anguished scream.

" _JUVIA!!!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> END OF PART 2!
> 
> Well... what did ya’ll think? Liked it? Hated it? I would love to hear your thoughts on this story/chapter! :) It is VERY late over here, so there might be some unintentional mistakes here and there (please let me know if any parts don’t make sense, have grammatical errors, etc, and I’ll fix accordingly. Like I said – very tired, heh, xD ). But I just wanted so much to get this update out! Thanks for reading – you guys are the best! Chapter 3’s coming up next! I’ve got it halfway written already, so hopefully, the next update won’t take so long, haha... ) As always, dear readers, read & review! Your love literally keeps me going, haha! ^_^ Until next time! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter took waaaay longer to finish and get out than I'd originally anticipated! Thank you guys for being so patient with me! *hugs!* This chapter is mostly a lot of brotp moments, haha… Anywhos, hope ya'll enjoy!

It had been three days. Three days since Juvia had been brought back to the guild's infirmary. Three days since he, Natsu, and Lucy had managed to rescue her from _them_ , and only just barely. Even now, the mere thought of those people who had hurt her so badly was enough to summon a snarl to his lips and cause his blood to pound in his ears.

If it hadn't have been for Natsu and Lucy's timely intervention – bursting into that room when they'd had, things definitely would have turned ugly for Juvia and himself. He'd been completely out of magic and was in no shape to fight on, and Juvia- well…

Vaguely aware of the door to the infirmary opening, Gray kept his eyes trained forward to the girl on the bed. He knew who it was long before she spoke – knew what it was that she wanted of him... His eyes narrowed, his lips sealing further into a stubborn line.

Soft footsteps approached.

"How's she doing...?" Lucy asked quietly, stopping at his side. Together, the two of them gazed down at the unconscious girl. Juvia's features, once so rosy and full of life, were the palest that Gray had ever seen them.

He cleared his throat, attempting to dislodge the lump that had formed. "Still the same," he managed to croak out, wincing when the sound of his own voice reached his ears. He knew he sounded terrible, and if the way he currently felt was any indication, he probably looked even worse. His eyes burned with fatigue, and other than very quick bites to eat at the main guild hall, the last three days and nights had been spent sitting in the chair by Juvia's bedside.

"Gray-" Lucy hesitated. She gazed down at the stony-faced ice mage helplessly, wishing that there was a way – _any_ way – to help her friend. Her gaze shifted slightly over from him to the silent girl on the bed, and a new wave of sadness washed over her. To help both of them…

"You need rest, Gray," Lucy started gently, reaching out with a hand to lay it on Gray's shoulder. He tensed immediately at the contact, his shoulder going rigid. "I don't thin-"

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not! Just _look_ at you-!"

"Lucy, I _said_ I'm fine." The words were spoken through clenched teeth. "Can you just… drop it, please?"

"Natsu and I – we're worried about you, Gray…" Lucy persisted. "Everyone in the guild's worried ab-"

"Then let them!" Gray snapped, causing the blonde to flinch back at the raw anger in his voice. For the first time since she'd arrived in the infirmary, Gray fully turned to face her. His features were twisted in an anguished expression the likes of which Lucy had never seen on him before. He glared at her. "Don't you _get_ it?!" he demanded, his voice harsh. " _I'm_ the reason why Juvia's…" His teeth clamped together, his dark eyes snapping back to the sleeping blue-haired girl. "Why she's… If I hadn't have left that morning in the first place…" Guilt and regret warred for dominance in his tone, as his words trailed off into a whisper.

"Nobody in Fairy Tail blame you for what happened!" Lucy exclaimed, trying desperately to get through to Gray. She swallowed hard, tears starting to well up in her eyes. "And I'm sure Juvia doesn't blame you in the least bit either!" Noting Gray's jaw twitch at the mention of the water mage, and seeing the flash of pain that twisted his features even further, Lucy frowned, but forced herself to keep going. "But with the way things are currently going at this rate… you can't go on like this! This whole situation is already hard enough as it is… _I know that, Gray – I was **there**_. But you have hardly moved for almost three days straight now!" The blonde blew out a frustrated breath of air, when Gray still refused to meet her eyes or break his stubborn silence. "I understand what you're going through right now – we _all_ do – but you've hardly ate or slept in all this time! Do you really think Juvia would like it to learn that the person she loves most in the world was neglecting himself because of her?! It would _crush_ her, Gray!"

Silence immediately descended upon them, following Lucy's emotional outburst. Gray stared at Juvia's form on the bed, his face an unreadable mask. Finally, he sighed, his shoulders slumping forward a little, defeated by the truth and logic behind Lucy's words.

"You're right," he muttered, swiping a hand tiredly through his raven locks.

"You should go home, and get some rest," Lucy told him gently. Her tone immediately softened when she saw with relief that Gray was at least open to considering her words. "And get some food, too. She'll be alright – I promise. I'll take over watch from here."

"Thanks, Lucy…" Rising from his chair, Gray stood. Sharp pain shot through his limbs in protest at the sudden movement, and he winced. Maybe he should have at least moved around a bit more in the room the last couple of days…

His eyes lingered on Juvia's face for a moment more, before he forced himself to tear his gaze away from her.

 _I'll come back for you. I promise…_ Gray vowed silently, trying desperately to push his thoughts to the blue-haired water mage. _But in the meantime, you've gotta hang in there, Juvia… You've gotta wake up soon. Please… I can't-_

"Let me know if there's a change to her condition, however small," he asked of Lucy quietly, as he paused in front of her. "I won't be gone long, regardless."

"Yes. Of course," the blonde reassured him, with a smile. "I promise. You'll be the first to know."

"And…" He drew in a breath. " _Thanks_ , Lucy. For y'know, back there… I might've gotten in a little over my head – I honestly hadn't realized how bad the situation really was inside that damn building. If you and Natsu hadn't have come in when you did…"

"Hey- don't mention it," Lucy stopped him. She shook her head, smiling warmly at him. "You would've done the same for any of us, right? Besides, you know we couldn't have let you go in there completely by yourself – and honestly, did you really expect us to? We're friends, Gray – comrades to the end, right? We stick together, no matter what." This earned her a faint smirk from the ice mage, and at the sight, Lucy's own smile brightened. It was nice to see Gray smile again. Ever since they'd arrived back at the guild three days prior, with an unconscious Juvia, Gray had all but locked himself in his own personal bubble of self-loathing, worry, and guilt. That mild smirk just now – it hadn't been much, but it was the first flicker he'd shown in days of an emotion that resembled neither misery nor anger, and for that alone, Lucy was happy for her old friend.

"Yeah," Gray agreed with a thoughtful nod. "I guess."

Giving Lucy a small, tired – but deeply grateful – smile, and throwing one last glance Juvia's way, he left the infirmary. Closing the door as quietly as he could behind him, he leaned back against the cool surface of the wood, and closed his eyes. He hadn't allowed himself to think about anything the last couple of days – had numbed his emotions and forced them in check, for the sake of staying strong for Juvia. But now, these same emotions that he had attempted to keep bottled up were out for blood – _his_ blood. They crashed against him like angry waves, threatening to drown him within its murky depth. Drawing in a shaky breath, he held it for as long as he could, before he slowly exhaled. No. He couldn't afford to lose himself to despair. Not yet. This was far from over. Juvia was strong – one of the strongest people Gray had ever met. If there was anyone who could come back from this, she could…

 _Juvia would be okay…_ Gray's eyes tightened, as he attempted to once again reassure himself of this fact. _She has to be…_

* * *

 

_Darkness._

_It was all around her. Like a phantom lover determined to drag her down into its bottomless depth, it clung to her form – she was slipping away… drowning in the void…_

_~I'll come back for you… I promise…~_

_Who was that…? The voice sounded faint, and muddled, and so very, very far away… It echoed and warped through the dark space, making it difficult to determine where exactly it was coming from._

_~You've gotta wake up soon… Please… I can't-…~_

_That voice… – a male's, she determined – sounded so **sad** … so **broken**. Why? Her subconscious yearned to understand that sadness. Did he lose someone he cared about? For only the heartbreak of a loss as deep as Death could warrant such sorrow… She instinctively reached out into the empty void, longing to connect with the person behind that voice…_

_~Juvia…?~_

_She froze. Another voice? And there was that name again… Someone else – a female this time, by the sound of it – was calling that name now with such desperation…. **Why** …?_

… … … …

"Juvia… Please – you've gotta wake up…!" Lucy sank down into the vacant chair that Gray had left behind. Tears pooled in her brown eyes, as she reached forward to clasp Juvia's hands in her own. Giving them a small, supportive squeeze, the blonde carefully pulled the chair closer to the bed, so as to not awake the still-sleeping water mage. Staring down at Juvia's pale features, her tears finally slipped free. They trickled down her cheeks, and Lucy raised a hand to swipe at her eyes.

"You- You need to come back from this… We're all _right here_ , waiting for you, okay? You can't-" Lucy's voice broke then, a sob escaping her form. Drawing in a shuddering breath, she sniffed, her mouth twisting into a sad smile as she gazed down at Juvia through tear-blurred vision. " _Gray's_ waiting for you to come back to us… He- He may not say it much, but he really does care a lot about you – _for_ you. _Please-!_ "

… … … …

_Gray…? She did not recognize that name, and yet- something about the name struck her as oddly familiar… Just like before, she couldn't place a face to this voice either… But it, too, held a warm familiarity that she found to be oddly comforting…_

_The void swirled around her, shifting more turbulently now in response to her increased inner desire to connect with these strange voices..._

… … … …

The door to the main guildhall burst open with a bang, revealing a breathless Lucy. She paused a moment to catch her breath at the doorframe, before frantic brown eyes rose to meet those of startled and concerned guild mates'.

"Lucy!" Natsu and Erza were immediately by the blonde's side. At her friends' expressions of concern, her brows knotted.

"What is it? What's the matter?" Natsu asked quietly, his own dark eyes carefully studying Lucy's face. "Luce?"

"Lucy?" Erza's voice, too, held concern, as she set one supportive hand on Lucy's shoulder. "What is it? How's Juvia doing?"

"I-" Lucy hesitated. She glanced between her friends for a moment, before her eyes ticked down to the ground, and she sighed. "I think Gray needs to be here for this. Guys-" she raised her eyes to meet Natsu's and Erza's once more. "We have a big, _big_ problem…"

* * *

 

His friends' words echoed in his mind, as he raced for the guildhall from his apartment in the city. He had barely made it back home, and closed his eyes for a quick nap, when the communication lacrima on his desk had activated. His exhaustion was immediately driven from his thoughts, as Lucy's, Natsu's, and Erza's faces materialized inside the magical sphere globe.

" _Gray!_ " Erza had barked, her tone as no-nonsense as ever. " _Get back to the guild immediately!_ "

" _Juvia's up, man!_ " Natsu shoved his face into the limited space within the globe.

" _She's-_ " His eyes widened for the briefest of moments, before he leapt up from the bed and was throwing on a shirt and tugging on pants. " _I'll be right there!_ " he had yelled at the lacrima, before cutting off communication and bolting from his apartment.

Now, as he raced through the streets of Magnolia, ignoring the curious looks of the passersby that flashed before his eyes, only one singular thought occupied his entire being. His eyes narrowed, as he ran.

_~Juvia. Wait for me.~_

 

"J-Juvia…?" The name slipped from his lips in a whisper, as he stared across the room, to where she sat – surrounded by what seemed like the entire guild – on the bed. Gray could hardly see her, hidden as she was behind a veil of people. But that hardly mattered to him. _She was up. She was **okay**_.

Before he even became conscious of his actions, his feet were carrying him forward, towards the girl in the bed. Erza was the first to glance up and see him approach. Her eyes widened for the briefest of moments, as she caught his gaze in her own. Something in the depth of those eyes gave Gray pause, and he stopped in his tracks, a deep feeling of dread washing over him. Something wasn't right. Something was _deeply wrong…_

Breaking away from the others, Erza approached him. Gray observed her demeanor carefully.

"Gray…" The redhead greeted him upon reaching his side. Her voice was soft and soothing, but there was just something _incredibly wrong_ about the way she wouldn't meet his eyes…

"Erza-" Gray stared at his close and long-time friend. Erza was always so straightforward – she rarely was one to beat around the bush like this… "Juvia- how is she?"

Silence.

"Erza…?" His breath hitched, as his frown deepened. What wasn't she telling him…?

"Gray- Before you go over there, there's something you should know. There's… a complication with her recovery. We don't really know what happened to Juvia while those _sick bastards_ had her… but-"

"I don't understand- _what are you saying?_ " Gray interrupted impatiently. He really _didn't_ understand. What was with that somber expression that Erza wore? She should be happy- _He_ was ecstatic that Juvia was finally awake- His gaze shifted to over Erza's shoulders, where it landed on the mass of mages crowding around Juvia's bedside. Now that the thought occurred to him, Gray suddenly was aware of the fact that despite there being ample reason to celebrate, his guild mates were being far too quiet…

Brow furrowing into the beginnings of his signature scowl, he pushed his way past Erza, his brisk strides carrying him swiftly towards the bed at the end of the room.

"Juvia!" He called. Upon his approach, the mages surrounding the bed shrunk back, some casting glances behind their shoulders at the ice mage. _Was it just him, or were they giving him wary, apprehensive looks?_ Nevertheless, they parted, finally giving him access to reach the girl who was currently sitting up in the bed. Gray felt the corners of his lips tugging up into a grin, when he caught sight of the familiar wavy blue locks that tumbled down her back past her shoulders. His eyes instinctively focused in on her face, searching her features carefully for any lingering signs of her ordeal, but he couldn't seem to find any. He breathed out a small sigh of relief – a breath that he hadn't realized that he'd even been holding. Other than the fact that she was still a little pale, she was _okay_ , against all odds. Juvia was still Juvia…

"Juvia…" Gray breathed. Finally reaching her side, his arms dropped to his sides, his hands reaching out to hers. "Hey. You really had me – _us_ – worried there for a sec…" he told her, with a hollow chuckle – the humor not at all reaching his eyes. A moment of silence passed between them, during which his head tipped forward, his bangs casting a dark shadow across his eyes. "…Baka…" he finally muttered, his grip subconsciously tightening on her hands. "Don't ever do that again…"

He expected to see her bright eyes and lit-up expression – hear her loving squeal of "Gray-sama~!" at his words… swoon at the fact that his hands were gripping hers in a tight hold, their fingers intertwined… Or at the very least see her gaze drop in timid remorse at his light reprimand.

What he most certainly _hadn't_ expected was her eyes rising to meet his, her dark blue eyes fixing themselves to his face with an air of shy curiosity, as she studied him.

"Oh- erm… h-hello…" she squeaked, color immediately flooding her cheeks. Her gaze dropped to blink down at their joined hands, and she froze, her eyes growing to impossibly large proportions.

Wild panic immediately flashed in her huge, awestruck eyes, as she promptly screeched out a shrill " _Eeeeep!_ " and yanked her hand away from his. Her entire face erupting into crimson fire, she dove under the safety of the covers, the only thing exposed of hers being her eyes, as they peeked out at him shyly from underneath the tangled blanket.

"What the-?!" Gray's eyebrows shot up in surprise at Juvia's reaction to him. He stared at her, perplexed. "Uh… Juvia…?"

An embarrassed peep came from the girl under the covers. "You- You held my hand…" The voice sounded faint, and slightly muffled, and _so, so flustered_. "Even though I don't know who you are… C-Could it be…? _Stranger love…?!_ "

"O-Oi! _What?!_ " Gray blinked, his brows knotting into a perplexed frown as he stared at Juvia. He couldn't believe what he was hearing – _stranger_ … love…? Impossible – She couldn't _possibly_ mean…

"What are you- _What is she talking about?_ " He hissed to Erza, who had rejoined him at his side. Her eyes narrowed, and she sighed.

"I was afraid of this…" she murmured, her tone grim.

"Afraid of _what_?!" Gray demanded. "What the _hell's_ going on here? Why's Juv-?"

"She doesn't remember," Erza's voice was low, as she cut across his questions. "Anything, at _all…_ "

"What do you mean she doesn't remem-?" Gray gaped at her incredulously, his dark eyes ticking over to the girl still peeking out at him from under the blankets.

"Somehow, Juvia's memories of… us – of _Fairy Tail_ – are gone, completely…" Erza's brows furrowed. "She has no recollection at all of who she is – her past – _anything_. When she woke up, she'd had no idea of who Lucy was… nor any of us when we arrived. But, I'd hoped that upon seeing _you_ , she would-"

The sound of rustling sheets caused both Gray and Erza to abruptly cut off their somewhat-hushed conversation, both mages snapping their attention to Juvia. They found that she had re-emerged from hiding; her previous embarrassed and flustered state was now replaced by an expression of mingled shock, confusion, surprise, and concern, as she listened to their words.

"Juvia…?" Gray cautiously approached her once more. Lowering himself down to one knee, so that he was on eye-level with her, he reached forward slowly to once again take her hand in his. She didn't pull away this time, but merely stared at their hands in silence. "Do- Do you remember me? Do you remember any of us? Of- of _this_?" With his free hand, he gestured to around them.

There was a long silence following his words, during which time everyone waited with baited breaths. Juvia's lip began to quiver, and tears pooled in her eyes. Her hands trembled, and Gray tightened his grip on them.

"No…" she whispered at last, frustration and helplessness tinting her words. The bitter tears spilt over, trickling down her cheeks, and splashing onto the blanket. "I can't- I don't remember _anything…_ and yet, I feel like I should… like you guys are the one and only memory that truly matters, and I can't even-" The wracking sobs overtook her then, and she drew both knees up to her chest and buried her face in them. Her body shook between sharp gasps of breaths, choking sobs, and erratic hiccups.

Feeling a sharp nudge at his side, Gray glanced up to find Erza giving him a pointed stare, as she inclined her head slightly over towards the sobbing girl, and mouthed the words " _Comfort her!_ "

He scowled up at her, feeling his cheeks grow warm. Returning his gaze back to the blue-haired girl in front of him, he reached up with a hand to lay it gently on her trembling shoulder. His fingers ran soothingly up and down her back, as his face and neck grew increasingly warmer, and the blush creeping steadily up his face staining his cheeks and ear tip a vivid shade of scarlet.

"H-Hey…" Gray began uncomfortably – he really was no good at this. Before he could continue on, Juvia suddenly threw her arms around his neck with a loud wail, nearly toppling them both to the floor. His eyes widened, his breath hitched, and he felt his heart hammering erratically in his ribcage, by the sudden embrace.

"I'm s-sorry…" she murmured, burying her face into his chest. He awkwardly patted her on the back. It wasn't until he felt her tear-stained cheeks resting against his bare chest, and felt skin-to-skin contact, that Gray visibly paled – _when had he even taken off his shirt?!_ – and immediately panicked by pure instinct. Hastily grabbing Juvia by the shoulders, he pushed her back away from him to a fairly safe distance. The girl blinked at him; he turned his gaze away from her with a slight frown. Standing above the two, the moment was not lost on Erza, who cracked a smile.

"We'll leave you two alone to talk," she announced, and Gray could have sworn he heard a pleased smirk in her tone. She herded the rest of their guild mates out of the infirmary, despite scattered protests. When the door shut with a soft _click_ behind her, the room suddenly fell into immediate silence.

"Juvia…" Gray began, uncertain of how to continue. Where _could_ he even begin…? Before he had a chance to say anything further, however, Juvia spoke up.

"Are- Are you someone important to me…?" The question came out as a whispered murmur. She lowered her gaze, faintly frowning down at her interlocked hands on her lap, before lifting her eyes to him once more, searching his expression carefully. Finally, she sighed, and raised her hands to lock them on either side of her elbows, pulling her legs up to her chest as she did so and rested her chin on her knees. "I can't explain it… But I- I can't shake the feeling that I _know_ you…" A soft, shy smile appeared on Juvia's lips. "I- I'm sorry if I startled you earlier," she apologized, a distinct blush rising in her cheeks. "It's just… when you took my hands… your presence felt so warm… so _familiar…_ "

"Er… it's okay," Gray muttered, an embarrassed blush of his own rising. He raised one hand to scratch absently at the back of his neck, waiting for the heat to die down. Jeez… he had probably blushed more in the last hour than he'd ever had in his entire life… He paused to consider Juvia's question. "…Yeah," he replied quietly, expelling a soft sigh. He offered her a crooked grin. "You could definitely say that."

Juvia's smile grew bigger at his words. "Good," she replied. "I'm glad…" She grew quiet for a moment, before her gaze rose once more to shyly meet his.

"So… My name is… Juvia?" she asked, with an air of curiosity. She repeated the name to herself silently again a few more times, testing the strange, unfamiliar sound of it against her tongue.

Gray nodded. "Yeah," he told her quietly. "Your name is Juvia Lockser. You-" He swallowed hard, as flashes of her former self came unbidden to him.

_You were strong, and kind, and my biggest fan…_

"You were – _are_ – a water mage of Fairy Tail. You loved this guild – loved everyone in it – more than anything in the world. And… everybody loved you back."

_You were… beautiful, Juvia. I'm sorry I never told you before…_

"You were always there to help if anyone needed it – always there with a smile. You loved to bake and- and _hug_ , and-"

_Damn it…! It's no good-_

Gray gritted his teeth, and quickly turned away from Juvia, as he desperately tried to control the emotions that bubbled dangerously close to the surface. He couldn't- He _won't_ burden her further with his weakness… He prayed to the heavens that she hadn't seen the tears… He felt a small, soft hand tentatively touching his, and instinctively, he flinched away, only for her to slightly tighten her grip.

"I'm fine," Gray told her quickly, his bangs casting a shadow over his eyes. He could feel her concerned gaze on him, but he made no move to meet her eyes. "Sorry, Juvia- I'm fine. It's ju-"

"I'm sorry…"

"Wh… _What?_ " The unexpected apology caught him completely by surprise, and in spite of himself, his eyes raised to stare at her.

"I am… _sorry_ ," Juvia repeated, her eyes downcast. "For being the cause of your pain… For being the cause of _everyone's_ pain… The same look that's in your eyes now- I saw in the eyes of the girl with the blonde hair when I awoke… It's the same look that I saw in the eyes of the girl with the red hair, who you were talking to earlier…"

"You're _not_ the cause of this-" Gray growled fiercely, laying a hand firmly on her shoulder. "Okay? Listen to me-"

"But-!"

" _Listen to me, Juvia!_ The people who did this to you, _they're_ the ones responsible. And we _will_ get to the bottom of what's going on – okay? Juvia- look at me!" Reluctantly, Juvia raised her eyes to meet his, and Gray searched them carefully. " _Okay?_ I _swear_ we will…"

Still not looking quite convinced, Juvia nevertheless nodded silently. Gray expelled a soft sigh.

"I don't want you worrying about this," he told her. "We'll take care of it. You just- just rest, and concentrate on getting better. You've been through a lot."

He made to move away, but was surprised when he felt her fingers close lightly around his wrist.

"Stay with me…" Juvia whispered. "Just- just for a little while longer…"

Something in the depth of Gray's eyes tightened painfully at her words, and his brows knotted, but he obliged her request with a ghost of a smile. Spending just a little bit more time with her couldn't hurt, he supposed…

Before he knew it, the next couple of _hours_ flew by, the time spent between the two talking about the little things. Gray tried to keep the conversation between them as light as he could; he told her about their friends, about Fairy Tail, and all the adventures of the rambunctious guild – and she listened in awe-like wonder, laughing in all the right places, and asking the occasional question. It wasn't until the room darkened, and the shadows grew longer and longer, that Gray's eyes flickered to the window in surprise. The sun was starting to set.

"I'd, uh… I'd better go, and let you get some rest," he told her, rising to his feet. Juvia's expression fell slightly, but she nodded, giving him a smile.

"I understand," she told him. "I will…" she fidgeted slightly, "see you again, soon?"

The hopeful note in her voice tore at Gray, and he nodded silently.

"Yeah, you will," he promised. "I'll be back tomorrow. I don't have anything planned, and I'll spend as much time with you as you want me to. Well… get some rest…" He turned to leave, but paused, glancing back at her. "Good night, Juvia," he murmured.

A faint smile tipped at the corners of her lips, her expression turning dreamy at the tender way that he said that name. She glanced up at him, only to find that he was already halfway to the door.

"W-Wait!" She called out to him, raising an arm towards him, desperate to stop him from leaving before she had her answer. "You- You know who I am… _Juvia_ … But I still don't know your name…"

He paused in his steps, his back turned to her for a long moment. When he finally turned to face her, he smiled, although – Juvia noted with a jolt – it was the saddest smile she had ever seen.

"Gray," he answered her quietly. "My name is Gray Fullbuster."

"Gray Fullbuster…" Juvia repeated firmly, as if determined to committing that name to memory. A soft smile graced her smooth features, as she raised her eyes to shyly meet his. "Tomorrow, then," she agreed, her cheeks pink. "Good night… _Gray_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ending A/N: End of Part III! Feel free to review if you'd like – or follow, or favorite, or whatever – I love any kind of feedback! Constructive Criticism is very much welcome and appreciated, if you feel the need to give it, as it's helpful in helping me grow to be a better writer! Part IV's coming up next, and it's gonna be one hell of a ride, haha, so stay tuned! :)


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